


An Unsubtle Touch

by MooncatEclipse (Wolfgrowl)



Series: Wondrous Tails Bingo Event [14]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: M/M, Playing Gay Chicken rather than talk about feelings, Rated M for characters refusing to be safe for work, This was not meant to be like this but who am I to stop them?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:35:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23833981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfgrowl/pseuds/MooncatEclipse
Summary: Maybe giving a ghost a massage wasn't the brightest idea the Warrior of Light had ever had but it wasn't his stupidest by far.
Relationships: Ardbert/Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV)
Series: Wondrous Tails Bingo Event [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1670677
Comments: 6
Kudos: 37





	An Unsubtle Touch

**Author's Note:**

> For the Prompt: Massage

“Gods, how do you have this much tension in your back?” Nijoh’ir asked, his fingers pressed into the strong muscles under scars, “I thought the saying was I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

“You try sleeping with all this going on,” Ardbert grumbled back, despite his face being in the pillow, “what do you think the Exarch thinks of this?”

“There are worse things he could see me doing to you,” Nijoh’ir pressed his thumbs in and Ardbert groaned, Nijoh’ir’s ears shooting up, “make a sound like that again and we might get a bit closer to that than you’d like.”

Ardbert huffed at that, glancing up at him as best he could between being pressed into the mattress to receive a massage and the brown bangs in his hair, “why on earth did you, _oh gods yes_ , did you decide you wanted to give a ghost a massage.”

“You say that like I’d offer this to anyone haunting me,” Nijoh’ir rubbed his palms together before resting his now warmer palms on Ardbert’s back, he could almost feel the tension ease out of him, “I wanted to be sure I still knew how to do it and that- well look someone once told me I was really good at it and while I’d love to forget most if not all of that encounter, it’s nice to be able to help you with this.”

“Even if you are apparently getting a hard on.”

“You shut the fuck up and enjoy your damn massage.” Nijoh’ir’s ears wiggled in amusement, “not my fault you’re pretty, half-naked and moaning- well two of those are my fault but-”

“You think I’m pretty?”

“Would you prefer handsome? Rugged?” Nijoh’ir began working down Ardbert’s back, “you have got to stop holding all this tension, gods your spine is gonna look worse than Emet Selch’s.”

“I’m dead, it can’t get worse, and Ascians and their terrible posture is not the point, you think I’m attractive?”

Nijoh’ir lifted his eyes from examining Ardbert’s back to meet the Warrior of Darkness’s incredulous gaze, “I pity your friends that you are this dense.”

Ardbert pushed himself up only for Nijoh’ir to push him back down into the mattress, “I’m not done, and you’ll just put all that tension I just worked out back in your muscles!”

“You’re the one telling dead people they’re hot!”

“Why are you so hung up on the fact that you’re dead? Like yes, I’m very sorry that you are but you don’t exactly look like a corpse so forgive me for having eyes and using them.”

“Gods, you are snarky.”

“That’s rich coming from you.” Nijoh’ir caught Ardbert by the back of the neck, not unlike he was a naughty kitten, “now stop moving around so much.”

Ardbert settled back into the mattress, “wait did you offer to massage me because I think I’m-”

“No, I offered because you’re my friend and if you’re anything like me, and Seto thinks you are, you haven’t relaxed in over a hundred years so stop getting so worked up and just relax!” Nijoh’ir’s voice had risen as the sentence continued and his tail smacked against the mattress loudly.

“Am I allowed to question your taste in men?”

“Absolutely not.” Nijoh’ir replied, pressing his fingers in along Ardbert’s hips, “you’re only allowed to critique your own taste in men for not finding me to be the absolute delight on the eyes I am.”

“Who in the seven hells gave you such an ego?”

Nijoh’ir smile flickered slightly, “my uh, my boyfriend did. Before he died. He was very vocal about how attractive I was, and I’m not like- it’s not vain to say I’m attractive you know. I am.”

“You are,” Ardbert agreed quickly and both Warrior of Light and Darkness froze, and yes that tension was getting back in Ardbert’s spine.

“You know, maybe this was a bad idea,” Ardbert tried to rise again but having someone sitting on your legs was an excellent way to prevent you from escaping and he just flopped back down.

Nijoh’ir sighed, “alright, so, now that we’ve established that, shut up and enjoy your massage.”

“Ah, so we’re just going to ignore that awkwardness.” Ardbert glanced over at him as best he could, Nijoh’ir’s hair was falling in his eyes now, though he reached up to brush the tuft of red and gold hair out of his blue and purple eyes, now he wasn’t looking at Ardbert’s face.

“Yup. Unless you want to do something about it,” Nijoh’ir worked a knot out of Ardbert’s muscles and he sagged against the bed in relief.

“If that means you stop, gods no.”

“Then shut up and let me take care of you.” Nijoh’ir’s fingers stilled again, resting lightly on Ardbert’s back as he realized the phrasing he’d used, before he started again.

Ardbert groaned, this time it was deliberately and playfully improper.

“You dick.” Nijoh’ir couldn’t keep the laughter from his voice, “lucky the neighbors can’t hear you.”

“How low is this massage going?” Ardbert tried to twist only to get a light swat on the shoulder for that.

“I give you a back massage and you start asking for hand jobs,” Nijoh’ir shook his head in mock disapproval, “for shame.”

Ardbert hesitated, a question in his mouth before he said instead, “I think… if I replied to that, this uh…”

“Game of gay chicken?”

“That I suppose works, I think it would stop being a game.”

“Mmm, yeah we are getting dangerously close to having to actually fuck each other before the other calls us a coward.” Nijoh’ir had to stop his massage to wheeze a little, “gods.”

“I seriously doubt that they have anything to do with this,” Ardbert mused, shifting a bit to get more comfortable, only to hear Nijoh’ir grumble, “I am not being a tease, my leg was falling asleep!”

“Likely story,” Nijoh’ir resumed working his way over Ardbert’s spine, “again, gods, the tension you had.” He stopped at Ardbert’s waist, “alright, there, you should feel much better.”

Ardbert slowly lifted himself up with a groan, he rolled his shoulders slowly, “hells yes.”

Nijoh’ir climbed off him to fall back on the bed, arms folded behind his head and smirking, “see? Not such a bad idea.”

“You gave a ghost a massage,” Ardbert pointed out, resting his head on his hand, “I have to say, you’re kind of strange.”

Nijoh’ir winked at him and grinned, “and you’re into it so what’s that say about you?”

“In truth, that Hydaelyn has terrible taste in champions.”

**Author's Note:**

> Nijoh'ir stop being in love with dead people challenge. First Haurchefant, now this. Square is hard enough on you son, why do you make it harder on yourself?


End file.
